Diversity, equity and inclusion is top of mind for many plan sponsors these days. And, while issues around retirement and pensions likely aren’t the key focus for employers looking to tackle DEI issues, they should be. This March, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released a study that found the pension gender gap, or the difference […]
The Association for Canadian Pension Management is urging New Brunswick’s Financial and Consumer Services Commission to ensure unclaimed entitlements from ongoing pension plans are eligible for transfer to the province’s unclaimed property fund at the option of the plan administrator. Under a proposed revision to New Brunswick’s unclaimed property program, organizations and government entities holding […]
There could be “unintended consequences” if a bill conferring preferred creditor status to defined benefit pension plan members during bankruptcies passes through Canada’s House of Commons, according to an open letter from the Pension Investment Association of Canada. In an open letter, to Michael MacPherson, clerk of the standing committee on industry, science and technology, from Natasha Trainor, […]
While a recent dispute between the Canadian National Railway Co. and the surviving same-sex partner of a deceased plan member will likely inspire other plan sponsors to ensure pension benefits are correctly distributed, the amount of new claimants coming forward will likely be relatively small, says Jill Wagman, managing principal at Eckler Ltd. “It may […]
Investment fees led the agenda at the Joint Forum of Financial Market Regulators’ annual meeting last week. This year, the forum engaged externally on investment fees, a topic of high importance to both defined contribution pension plan members — particularly those invested in mutual funds — and policy holders of segregated funds. It sought the views […]
A number of Canadian institutional investors, including the British Columbia Investment Management Corp., the British Columbia Municipal Pension Plan, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Investment Management Corp. of Ontario, are among 457 signatories of a statement calling on governments around the globe to take accelerated action to combat the climate […]
Canada’s bankruptcy laws should be changed to avoid future financial hardship for members of other underfunded pension plans, said a court-appointed representative for Sears Canada retirees. Kenneth Eady, a former Sears Canada management employee who now represents 17,000 other pensioners, told MPs on Tuesday that he doesn’t believe it’s fair that Canada’s two bankruptcy laws give banks more protection […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is urging parliamentarians to vote down the final version of a new bankruptcy and insolvency bill. If passed, Bill C-253, also titled the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (pension plans and group insurance plans), would force super priority on Canadian pension plan members in […]
Canada’s pension plan sponsors have a fiduciary responsibility to consider climate change in their financial decisions, according to Randy Bauslaugh, counsel for pensions and benefits and executive compensation at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, during a webinar hosted by the Canada Climate Law Initiative and the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute. “The failure of plan administrators and […]
The federal government is extending its relief to registered pension plans and deferred salary leave plans by one year to help employers manage and maintain benefits for their employees through the coronavirus pandemic. The draft regulations, initially released on July 2, 2020, are aimed at ensure pension plan sponsors and their beneficiaries have the flexibility they […]